Over the Hill Shines: Reality
by MeeShee MuhFFin
Summary: Reality is absolutely crude and unforgiving. Everyone always wondered, "What would happen if everything was erased?" Ventus, along with his closest friends and his new interest, tries to find out the truth, and most importantly, Reality. VanVen  1-of-3
1. A Bright New Day: Turns Ugly

_A/N: _I know, hons. Id hate me too if I read an author like me who NEVER updates Dx I'm sorry, really.__

__ As you guys are reading this, a few of my stories are being added to and/or revised._ _

_The second chapter to this is already done, and I'm gonna wait till the third is done and Beta'd before I post it, aright? The third SHALL be done in a week's time. (I only have Wednesday, Friday, Saturday+Sunday to write, and I'm kinda slow... So... Again, a week's time!)_

_I really hope you guys like this story, because it was a real big _blast_ writing it. I was havin' so much fun! I can't wait to get started on the third chapter, even!_

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><p>Over the Hill Shines: <strong>Reality<strong>

A morning bloom of sunshine cast upon cold, crisp air. The sun had just reared its head from ugly, grey wisps of stratus clouds, bringing a softer wind to the business men and women, school children crossing streets, warming the occasional construction worker who passed by.

Two teenage kids, around fifteen or sixteen, walked nonchalantly in the busy, frisk air. They talked about school work, the drama circulating in their school, about the world's news and a game that had just recently come out. "I think it'll be pretty cool," said the shorter of the two, carrying his bag loosely slung over a shoulder. His uniform sleeves were rolled up, revealing fairly light skin scarred by freckles and many months worth of sporting activity. The teen beside him, another boy, shook his head in disbelief,

"Are you kidding me? Kill Zone 3 will be so much better!" A rack of shivers crawled his spine, "I can't believe you like zombie crap. It's disgusting, weird, im_possible_-…" The other interrupted him, "If 'possible' is in your sentence, I won't listen to another word." He crossed his arms and stuck his head up defiantly, a grin eventually replacing the snooty façade he'd tried to portray. He bumped into his friend jokingly to lighten the mood, "I like zombie stuff because… It doesn't count as actually killing people."

His friend's face scrunched up, "Ugh, of course it does!" He shook his head, "It's gross, Ven. They still count as humans…"

The blonde shrugged, "Not to me. They're just _targets_, like your little… _Kill Zone_ crap, Sora."

The bell for school chimed a distance away and practically sang "8:45", shoving the boys' tardiness in their faces. "You made us late!" Sora groaned, shoving Ven ahead to quicken their pace.

"Agh! Don't shove, ow! _Sora_," the blonde whined, squirming and grumbling.

As they had reached school grounds, the gates readily closing, the two boys never noticed the long, drawn-out scream that echoed along Town Square's plaza.

It was a bloody, terrified scream filled with malice and pure fear. A scream that would start everything.

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><p>Over the Hill Shines: <strong>Reality<strong>

He chewed, sucked and gnawed on a new pencil's eraser, eyes falling to slits and jaw going still and relaxed for a moment. Vanitas's hand propped his head up, cupping his cheek, while he tried to bare the darkened classroom presentation. The young adult had gotten little to no sleep whatsoever last night, all because he was _trying_ to keep his worth-nothing grades up. Really, when were you ever going to use line symmetry in life? Who needs it?

The raven would much rather be at home, sleeping in till 4 o'clock and playing Red Dead Redemption, maybe going to a club later on in the night instead of doing his homework. He was twenty-one after all, so he could go into the good night clubs instead of the awkward 'teen' clubs he'd attended to as a youngster.

As he thought about it though, he remembered that those little clubs were so innocent. No real drugs or drinking- Sure, a blunt or two passed around and some stupid kid might sneak a cheap drink here or there, but they almost always got caught. It made him smile a little, thinking of his roommates, Zack and Kairi. He remembered when they were caught by a host, doin' it in the back room. Some knucklehead, Roastus-or, whatever his name was-, had busted them while heading out. _Bahh, he didn't even let them finish_. Vanitas scoffed internally, slightly shaking his head at the two rabbits-of-friends. The thought of them dry-humping on his bed, _again_, laughing at him because he wasn't there to see it, made his smiling mood change to a scowl.

Thinking of them… They better not touch his dog again.

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><p>Over the Hill Shines: <strong>Reality<strong>

Ienzo's hand was slapped at for pealing the bread of his sandwich, Demyx glaring directly at him. "Stop picking at your food, just eat it." The slate-haired child glowered at the pasta and sandwich, shaking his head with crossed arms. Demyx rolled his eyes, lifting a fork to the child's mouth. "C'mon, hon, it's good! Pinky promise," he held out a ringed pinky for the boy to take, although, the youngster stayed motionless, glaring to the side at Axel and Terra. The two, as always, were competing their hardest. Today, as they all had gathered at the school's roof top for lunch, it's push-ups, yesterday was a race, and tomorrow would probably be people-lifting. The two were crazy, always trying to beat the other at _something_. They were loud and obnoxious, and it made the poor child uneasy to have such strong emotion near him.

While Ienzo was lost in thought about the two muscle-heads, Demyx had started scratching the leather of his Sitar case out of boredom, asking Tidus the most ridiculous of questions.

"Are you still going out with Yuffie and Ms. Gainsborough?" The meatier dirty blonde scoffed at such a thing, as if the matter itself seemed childish and silly to him. "Of course not. I'm tryin' to get a tail or two with that Aqua chick, though. We take French and geometry together, and man- she's a tight-ass!" He blew at a strand of hair, hitting Wakka in the shoulder. The big brute was refereeing Axel and Terra's competition, although losing count a couple times here and there. "Hey, Wakka, didja get Left4Dead two yet? I'm dyin' to play it,"

The brute frowned and shook his head, "Naah. Mom's bein' a bitch and wouldn't let me get it this weekend. But, hey, if there's ever an apocalypse, you'll be the first to call." Tidus laughed at that, "Of course, it happens all the time."

"Eighty-goddamn-NINE!" Axel shouted, pushing towards his goal of one hundred. Terra coughed and bumped a shoulder with the redhead, "Ninety-two!" He growled back, arms quivering slightly and fingers curling at the ends. The slighter, slimmer blonde glared at the two, "Don't cuss in front of Ienzo!" He covered the boy's ears and huffed at the meat-buddies, 'humph'-ing and patting the youngster's head. He, almost as always, stayed motionless and bored-looking.

The door to the school's roof-top opened, out coming Ventus, Sora, and Lea with their lunches. Ven took one look at the small, gathered group, eyes rolling at Axel and Terra's game. "Oh, come on. I can do better than that, Ax." He rolled his red Gatorade towards Terra when they were finished, chewing happily on a cafeteria brownie and sneaking a piece to Ienzo when Demyx was distracted.

Lea leaned against the railing and scoffed at his brother. "You suck." The other looked up after downing Sora's Dr. Pepper(Which he'd whined about later) and replied, "Not what your mom said last night." The group's nose wrinkled, Tidus muttering a quiet "That's nasty" and Sora drawing out an '_eeeeew_'.

With a roll of his emerald greens, Axel turned to Ven and Sora. "So, where's Roxy-Pox and Perry Winkle?" The brunet's nose wrinkled again as Ven replied. "Still in class. Apparently, Webber wanted Roxas and Yuffie to stay after." Wakka laughed at that, a perverted grin plastered on his big lips while he nudged at Tidus with wagging eyebrows. He was shoved back by the cackling blonde, who only shook his head and muttered another "Nasty" under his breath.

"Ugh, what's with you guys and bein' gross?" Demyx frowned, an arm protectively wrapped around the smaller form of Ienzo. "I mean, really! I understand that we're _guys_, but you don't hafta dog on sex all the ti-" A sharp, piercing sound covered the slender blonde's words. It was, quite obviously, loud- but not only that. It had a desperate effect that mingled chillingly well with fear, something that caused a stiffness to fall upon the small group. Silence followed afterward, a cold sweat breaking on the back of the sitar player's neck. His fingers tightened around Ienzo's shoulder, "What was that?"

Axel stood up slowly; the only noise was his and Terra's slightly rough breathing. The taller redhead leered over his brother, looking over the railing and out towards the schoolyard. The kids below them had stopped also, looking right and left, wondering aloud and noisily. Some people even made jokes of it, yelling a, "That's how good I am!" Axel tried to peer over the mob of students, past them and over the gates. On the streets, cars were lined up and unmoving.

Lea elbowed his brother with a quivery smile, "Ahh, it's nothin', Ax. Just traffic lined up. Maybe somebody got hit?" The taller brother shook his head with furrowed brows, "That didn't sound like a hit 'n' run, Lea." The younger shrugged his shoulders, blinking at such bright sunlight. A bell rung through the school grounds, Principle Mourey's voice coming over the speaker.

_"Students and faculty: Please remain calm. Do not go near the gates or school walls. Iv been informed that something has occurred in and near Twilight Square, and the schools around the city are also going under this lock-down. I'm not one-hundred percent sure what has happened, but please do not panic. It's sure to blow over soon. So, with that, please return to your classes, quietly. Thank you, and have a wonderful day. "_

Sora stood up, grabbing Tidus's and Demyx's hands to help them to their feet. "A lock-down?" He asked, looking quizatically towards Lea and Ven. Demyx cleared his throat, "Maybe it's from the car-crash down the street... Was it a car crash?"

Finally, Ienzo spoke up. "I doubt any sort of car crash occurred. There was absolutely no sound of metal clashing, it's highly unlikely that-" Wakka interrupted the tiny freshman, "Then what was the sound? A siren?" He asked as everyone headed for the stairs. They walked quietly, as they were told, whispering in rushed, hushed voices.

"Maybe there's a psycho-killer on the loose," Axel grinned, wagging an eyebrow at Sora and Ven, "who wants to get their grubby hands on little boys and-" Lea countered his brother, "A creepy, psycho-killer? Dad's here? Awh, damn." The group laughed, tension dissipating steadily. Pats on the back were received as the pack gradually returned to their classes. Ventus, Lea, and Sora stayed together, walking in silence and reveling in the student body's quick whispers. Yuffie bustled out of their classroom's door, looping arms with the blonde and red-head. "Hey!" She squeaked, eyeing the three. "Do you know why the principle called everyone in? You were on the roof, right?" Sora nodded, entering the science class and smiling towards Roxas. He sat next to the taller blonde, turning his head to look at Yuffie. "We didn't see anything though. All we heard was this weird sound, kinda like a... Siren, or-..."

Ven interrupted with wide-eyed blue orbs and said slowly with complete sureness, "No, you guys... I think it was a scream."

Over the Hill Shines: **Reality**

"Rodlen, stand up and present your story board." Mr. Katrin instructed snootily, waving his hand towards the white board. The black haired, young adult stood on his feet, walking towards the front in a prolonged speed. "Any day now," the professor chastised, rolling his eyes at the slow student. Vanitas took a dry-erase pen from the silver white board lining, sketching out the basics of his project. He was in his Advanced Literature class, presenting his ideas on human genetics and defects. He never really got why Mr. Katrin decided to assign a science project in his _literature_ class, but hey- at least he never failed science in high school.

The intercom was brought to life, speaker craggily and their dean's voice light-hearted.

_"Please excuse my interruption. Students and staff: Please be careful when crossing anywhere near Twilight Square and Main Street. There has been an accident, so when leaving the campus grounds, watch out for anything strange. Thank you." _The speaker cut off with a screech, a couple voices rising in the class.

"Go on, Rodlen. Don't pay attention to the message, just do your presentation." Vanitas ignored his instruction and asked, "What happened?" He looked upon the faces of his class mates, all of them intrigued as their faces slightly creased with worry. A frustrated sigh escaped the professor's lips, "You think I know? Just get it over with," he snapped his fingers forward, telling the raven to pick up his pace. With a roll of golden hues, Vanitas continued writing.

"At the end of 2009, there is an estimate of 2.5 million children living with HI-"

"Wait, hold on! Look outside! What is that thing?" A girl in the back hollered, scurrying closer to the window to get a better look. Her face presented complete and utter disgust, a hand covering her open mouth. Vanitas and Mr. Katrin turned to everyone, the younger's eyebrows raising. Both men stepped up the stairway, towards the large window that covered most of the right wall. As Vanitas looked, he couldn't tell what it was, either. His classmates murmured and covered their hearts in shock. Mangled heaps of flesh was still attached to the strange creatures, clawed hands scratching against the gate's wall. Its lips, from what Vanitas could see, were red, dried, and curled back into somewhat of a hiss. The hair atop its head was mangled and dirty, looking to be in patches.

As it crawled along the school's wall, a door from another building opened. Bustling students happily came out early, ready to go home and do whatever it is they would normally do. The creature sped towards the far side as not to be caught, in a shadowed area by bunched trees, bushes, and flowers. In the pit of his stomach, Vanitas could tell it wouldn't end well. Two stray students, both boys, were at the head of the class and walking arm-in-arm. They chattered loudly, oblivious to the stalking monstrosity that hid in shadows. The men walked closer and nearer towards their dwindling fate, as cheery as can be. The black-haired man glowered at the pale, shivering thing that awaited them, banging loudly on the window.

"Hey!" He called, trying to open the window with the best of his ability.

A hand landed on his shoulder, Mr. Katrin gritting his teeth and murmuring, "These windows don't open, they-"

"Are you kidding me?" He looked back at his professor as if he were the stupidest, most naive person he'd ever met. He cursed and ran straight out of the classroom, a few heroics following on the heel of his feet. The hallways never seemed so long to him at that moment, and all he wanted to do was get outside. He pushed the heavy exit door open, striding out of building 6-2-C with vigor.

He waved his hands at the nearest person, calling a loud, "Hey! Stop those two idiots!" The class turned heads, following him with questioning eyes. He stopped short, finding nothing to do as he watched and waited. The creature in shadow pounced on one of the distracted boys, who had his eye trained directly on Vanitas. It was the first scream he'd heard that day. It was ugly, and loud, a little bit chalky even as it carried out for a few prolonged seconds. "Shit! See?" He pointed, rushing towards the two battling figures. He tore at the man's form, yanking him towards his body. His neck had been torn to pulp, deep gouges scarring his arm and side. He acted as if he couldn't breathe, and all his friends and classmates could do was watch, horror-struck. The demon-like creature hissed lowly at Vanitas while he pulled the man back, snarling and chomping the air. Blood splattered from its mouth, claws outstretching and ripping into new flesh; The previous sophmore's unsuspecting friend.

"Take 'em!" Vanitas shouted, shoving the hypervenaating male into who he thought was a class friend's, Tom Sandel's, arms and lunging directly towards the pale being. He put as much force as he could in that one punch- failing miserably and being knocked over, as if he were a fly. He seethed on the ground, rolling himself to his feet and charging once more. The class silently watched, backing away whenever the being screamed or yelped.

"Vanitas!" Somebody called, gaining his attention for barely a millisecond. One of his own classmates threw a blunt object towards him, which surprised the adrenaline-filled junior. Tom still held the writhing, screaming sophomore in his arms. Blood pooled onto the Tom's yellow shirt, and he himself looked as pale as he'd ever be. "Do it!"

He looked at his weapon, growling at such a stupid object- A flag pole? What was he going to do, preach the beast to death? He looked at the very end of the flag pole, relieved to an extent to see it was shaped like a spear, sharp and ready. He bared his teeth at the intruder, ignoring the still, lifeless body left on the floor. The creature, as if finding the right mind, started to crouch back. He looked for a moment, as if contemplating his next moves. His back was curved, Vanitas noticed, giving him a higher advantage: It wouldn't be able to run as fast as him.

So, with this hopeful knowledge in mind, he started for it again, flag pole ready and muscles twitching in anticipation. Was he really going to kill it? Could he? He... had to. Simple enough, right?

The thing screeched murderously, dropping on all fours and crawling fast-paced towards the golden-eyed young adult. Vanitas's foot connected with its jaw, sending the being upward and flying. It hit the concrete with a loud thud, body twitching and back arching. Its head had cracked open, although it was obviously not dead- yet.

Stalking closer, Vanitas, quite skillfully, lunged the flagpole into the creatures' nasal cavity. A loud, cracking, crushing sound was heard. It was so disgustingly distinguished; the students twenty-or-so feet away could hear it clearly. A long, drawn-out moan came from the demon's chest, body writhing jitterbug-like, fingers curling and un-curling in disdain. A small, echo of a hiss passed its dry lips. Nothing else except stale wind moved for the next couple of seconds, people around Vanitas in shock about the relatively easy kill. The raven-haired college student pulled the trusty spear-flag out of the being's head, a satisfied smirk plastered on his face.

"Ah! What the hell are you doing?" Tom yelled, now pushing the seemingly uninjured male away. He'd stopped moving, completely stopped his breathing, just minutes before. Now in a crouched position over the helpless Junior, a curled smile reached his now-pale complexion. His irises were white, the pupil seemingly darkened in color, and small. Tom tried to back up crab-style to free himself from the psycho's chilly stare; a frightened look tossed over the demon's shoulder, directed at Vanitas. His eyes pleaded for help.

With a somewhat cool stride, not to mention him ignoring the pain searing throughout his foot, Vanitas took the same, blood-dripping spear and dug the sharp pole into the turned demon. It slid under his neck skin, Vanitas having to push extra-hard for it to go up and through his skull. He dragged the howling beast up, prodding the pole more into its brain cavity. His uninjured foot connected at the small of the mutant's back, the force he put under it was back-breaking.

Tom, horrified, looked up at Vanitas's face. No emotion portrayed on his face. There was blood dripping down his arm, right pant leg, saliva, sweat, and the barbarian's own stale blood crawling down his check, trickling towards the collar of his black shirt. The movement under Vanitas's foot stilled, finally. He once again dislodged the spear-like pole, throwing it aside and looking at the two classes displayed before him. A girl in the back bellowed loudly, shoving her way through. "Chip! Dale!" She cried, running over to a paling body. She touched the boy's light brown hair, eyes wide and uncertain.

You…" Voice cracked, as if _her energy was drained, "_Killed him…" __The black haired male stepped forward, kicking aside who he thought to be 'Chip'. "For your own good. Where's my thanks? I just saved your goddamn ass and all you can say is that?" He replied, coldhearted. The crowd fell silent, watching the girl kneel before her fallen friend. Tears dripped sadly off of herr white face, smudging her non-waterproof mascara.

Tom stood up, being helped by none other than his best friend, Rikku. The girl, for once in her damned life, wasn't happy and cheery, or ditzy and loud. A small "Are you okay?" was heard while she patted his cheek.

Mr. Katrin stormed towards Vanitas, a glare in place that only really showed fear. "What have you done? What have you _done?" _He asked desperately, looking over the three dead bodies. He surveyed Dale, as the boy has never made a move yet. His throat and shoulder had been ripped apart, the meat munched and a bit of his bone shattered. His skin was already turning a blue-white color due to such an immense blood loss. There wasn't a thing Katrin could do for the three fallen. There was definiatly not a thing he could do to Vanitas, either. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, the man really had saved a good bunch of people, of kids and even himself.

His anger died down into a small pit of empty sadness. "How are we going to explain this to the dean?" He turned to the mob of students, eyes cast around to every face until it fell one a pair of goldenrod irises.

"Obviously, we need to tell 'em how I kicked ass. And, those… Things- what are they?" He kicked the original intruder's gut, though nothing stirred within the beast. "Are they gonna be tested or something?" Katrin shook his head slowly, a slow shrug soon finding action on his shoulders. His index finger was pressed tightly to his lips as he thought, dulled, blue eyes scanning over the dead bodies.

"C'mon, kids." He murmured softly, taking the still-crying girl's hand. Mr. Katrin rubbed her back, asking her name.

"D-Daisy." She sniffled, questly shuffling forward towards the office. "Daisy Dunkling…"

Vanitas hung by the bodies for a little while longer, eyes searching along every shadow and building. He could still feel a tightness in the pit of his stomach, and his shoulders were insistent on not relaxing. What was it that made him so alert? Sure, he'd just _killed two people, _but… He picked up the flagpole and turned to the bodies. He had a bad feeling that he would still need it...

Were they people? Humans? Or were they some type of… Mutation? The thought scared him. A mutation of what, he wondered. How could one being affect another, healthy, living, breathing man so _quickly?_

Soon, Vaniitas found himself following after the students and his teacher, everyone's heart heavy and thumping irregulary from sadness. Everyone, except Vanitas.

He wanted to find out what happened. He needed to know.

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><p><em>AN: Oh, dear. How was it? Good? Bad? I would be so happy to hear your guys's thoughts! _

_Thank you for reading the first chapter to _Over the Hill Shines:** Reality**_! I hope everyone sticks around for the following chapters, and is happy with what goes down in it. I, personally, can't wait. xD_

_Don't be shy to pop me a review, damsels and dudes~ (Ahh, the lame lines stick with me.)_


	2. A Bright New Day: Destroys

Over the Hill Shines: **Reality**

"_Please excuse another interruption. Students and staff, we are going under yet another lock-down. There has been an attack at Twilight Square College and the area around it. Although I do not know what caused the damage, I've been told it's serious._

_Don't let this bother you, though, as the college is a mile and a half away and the damage is very unlikely to take place here. In addition, I have been told no one has been harmed." _The principle paused for a moment, clearing his throat, "_Anyway, though,_ _have a wonderful day, Twilight Toucans!_"

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><p>"Dylan," says Claire Marylin in an overly perky news casting voice as she walked along a closed-off street in Twilight Square, while the camera rolled, "We have discovered three new bodies under the gutter of Twilight Square. After two months, we are still unsure as to what is causing these people to be so brutally tortured and killed.<p>

We've checked the records of villains in Twilight Town, even in Hollow Bastion, Radiant Gardens, and Traverse Town. Although, no patterns have been related to any of the jailed men or women, and most of them really are locked up, or have already done their time and are no longer in any of these cities.

I'm afraid that if this continues, there could be a dramatic loss to Twilight Town and its surrounding areas." The program was abruptly turned off, Cloud and Zack looking at each other with raised eyebrows.

"You think the kids are in any trouble? They're a half mile away from T. S., and these kills have been getting even more frequent." Zack mumbles, scooting even closer to the blonde in his frustration. He wanted the contact of another, so he could calm the butterflies rushing through his stomach. The two sat on a nicely designed, cream-colored couch, watching the news reporter Claire Marylin and Dylan Cannire. The word of even more deaths around the high school and college worried the brunet to no end.

Cloud softly slid his hand into Zack's, smiling one of his small smiles. "I'm sure they're fine." He chuckled a bit as he moved forward and pressed his lips to the others' neck, kissing his jugular, "You worry too much."

The brunet huffed, "Maybe it's just you who worries too little." He felt the blonde shrug, biting where his shoulder and neck met. A warm tongue poked out between Cloud's mouth, licking the small bite mark, and repeating. "Cloud..." Zack murmured, his head falling back and the corners of his lips turning up.

He forgot what they had previously been talking about, enjoying his boyfriend's company, and internally thanking him for causing his heart to stop hurting because of his own worry-wart self.

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><p>Over the Hill Shines: <strong>Reality<strong>

People in Ventus's classroom groaned and complained about staying after class-this being their final hour- and only wished to go home to do whatever it is they'd planned. The classroom was dark, the only light being from outside, the computer on Ms. Natalie's desk, and the smartboard.

Ven swung his legs back and forth and rested the toes of his shoes on the metal underside of a kid's chair in front of him. He was in the second row from the door, third person and close to the window. Yuffie was in front, beside the window and door. She wore an unusually troubled look on her face. Her chin rested easily in the palm of her hand, legs crossed femininely, eyes half-lidded while she thoughtlessly stared out of the glass. The blonde lent forward a tad, whisper-yelling, "Yuffie?" The people around them glanced with a confused half-glare, some rolling eyes and turning to pay rapt attention to the front. The girl he'd called looked toward him, eyebrows raised. No light reached her rusty, hazelnut irises; her mind was elsewhere.

Ven frowned, troubled. "You alright?" Her slightly chapped lips pressed into a line as she thought over her answer, a right hand coiling around her left hip as she leaned towards him in an awkward position. "Of course I am- why would I not be?" She whispered back, a tiny giggle falling out of her mouth.

The blonde knew better. She was paling, clammy, and looked out of place. He was just about to badger her more until a paper wad was shoved down the back of his shirt. He yelped and sat up straight, spinning in his chair to glare at a snickering Michel. He pointed over to Lea, though, who gave him a 'thumbs up'.

"Mr. Vasiliás ?" His teacher, Ms. Natalie, inquired while he shimmied in his shirt a bit. The balled up paper fell out, landing near his backpack. Just to be a jerk, Michel kicked it away and coughed into his hand to hide his brimming chuckles.

The woman's lips pressed into a thin, unhappy line. "_Ventus_ Vasiliás ?" He regretfully looked up at her, face coloring as the classroom paid full attention to him. "Do you need to go in the corner?" She pointed, Ven protesting immediately,

"Uh, no, it's just, Michel's being a jerk, and Lea-..."

She scoffed, "Michel was paying attention. You and Meláni were goofing off. If you're going to act like a second grader, I'll treat you like one." Her accusing finger never left the corner's direction until the blonde caught her hint. He slid out of his chair, picking up the note along the way.

"You too, Meláni ." He arose happily and proud, patting Yuffie on the head as he passed. The boys both leaned against the window, looking at each other awkwardly while people adjusted themselves.

Ven bumped a shoulder with him, "What was that? Jerk." He whispered with crossed arms. The other snorted, "Whatta you talking about? _So_ sorry I forgot that _you_ were a lamer and can't pass notes." Ven lifted an eyebrow, crumpling the piece of paper more and bouncing it on Lea's forehead. It rolled under Yuffie's desk, who barely noticed. Her perky self had completely disintegrated in a matter of one class period.

Lea nudged his friend as he looked outside. He snickered, "Looks like those losers are late," he muttered as a slow-passing group dwindled about. Confusion nagged at Ventus, though.

"Ms. Natalie?" He caught her attention, tapping the window, "We're in a lock-down, right? It's been at least thirty minutes since the principle said so." His teacher nodded briskly, "Yes, so what's your point?" Lea rolled his eyes at her as he looked back outside. His eyebrows pulled together in his own confusion. Most of them had passed their classroom, only a few left behind and taking baby steps.

He turned back to her, ignoring his classmates' stares. "Well, there's a big group of people outside." She shooed them aside, towards the smartboard. She took a look herself, tisking at the pests who didn't follow lock-down rules. Both the blonde and red-head leaned against Yuffie's desk, watching as their teacher unlocked and opened the unnecessarily big, royal blue door. She pushed it wide open and stepped out, seeing the backs of the men and women. "Excuse me?" She asked the passing people. They ignored her though, moving on in their snail-like pace. She stepped farther out, saying a bit louder- "Excuse me, why are you out he-"

A high-vocalized hiss came out of the group. The noisy one turned to her, white irises ablaze with some sort of putrid hate. It wailed at her and surged forward, grasping her by the arm and throwing her forward, towards the mass of subhumans. She gasped loudl,- a curling bellow ripping through her throat as she was bitten into.

Lea and Ven took action- charging straight out of the classroom and hollering for someone to close the door. A girl, Xion, burst right out after them, closing the big, blue barrier. The mass of mutants had a hold of their teacher, the sound of this outbreak catching people's attention in different classes. Teens and adults alike looked fearfully out of the window, mouths open in shock.

Ven pushed right through the small group of six or seven, grabbing hold of Ms. Natalie and jerking her behind him. "Move!" He commanded, turning to grab her by the shoulders. She was sobbing, waves of clumpy mascara and eyeliner falling down her white face.

"What is it!" Ms. Natalie screamed, "Get it off! It's hurting me! Get it _off_!" She kicked and turned in the blonde's hold, swatting away at any unnaturally pale-grey hands that reached for her. Blood and saliva covered her neck, arms, and the front of her white shirt. She rubbed at the collar of her blouse furiously, making a face at the newly reddened color.

"Ven, catch!" He heard Lea call, a rake being tossed into the mob of creatures. It fell to the ground, being pushed around by stumbling feet. He grabbed hold of his teacher firmly, looking into her watery eyes- "Hold on, don't panic!" He told her, quickly getting to his knees to retrieve the makeshift weapon. He snatched the end of it, getting a good hold. He swung it with all of his might while he was still crouched below, knocking over a few of the unnatural beings.

He got to his knees and quickly jabbed at the chests of the slobbering, mind-drained barbarians. They snapped their rotting teeth at him, growling and hissing at Lea and Xion who cracked necks and kicked the mutants' wobbly knees. The rake's teeth caught onto a torn shirt of one bloodied man- the one who'd nabbed their teacher. His irises weren't white anymore; the whole eyeball was enclosed with blackness. No pupil, no color. It's as if his eye sockets were hollowed out.

Ven grunted, swinging his makeshift weapon to the left and hurdling the monster into a heap of his own kind. He guffawed loudly as he hit the others, pushing them aside and snorting rudely in Ven's direction.

"Un_natural_," it heaved in a distorted, scraggly voice. The man bared his chipping, yellow teeth and barked, "Bite! _Bite, bite, bite, bite!_" Some of his lackeys stood with hunched backs, trying wildly to catch sight of Ven and his small group. Xion and Lea stood still, close to four of the rotting beings. They could practically feel the creature's warm, moist breath gusting over their bruise-blossoming skin.

Ms. Natalie clutched to her student's arm, leaning most of her weight on him. She huffed loudly into his ear as she tried to regain her composure. "I can't breathe," she gasped, teeth clenched to a painful extent. She clawed at Ventus's shoulder, "I can't breathe!" Hyperventilation and a wave of dizziness swept over her, the demon with black, pooling eyes grinning wildly.

He inhaled, talking as he did so, "Get- get!" The beastly humans around him crouched down, ready for another pounce at the weak.

The blonde pressed his crying teacher close to him, arm outstretched with the rake securely in hand. He licked his dry lips and tried to work his best glare. "Fuck you!" He bellowed, creatures heading straight for the pair with tongues dripping and decaying muscles twitching with every clumsy stride. They jumped- not too high, but enough to startle Ven and knock him over lamely. He swung the toothed weapon into the head of one snarling woman, kicking effectively at the neck and shoulder of another. Lea was on the others backs in an instant, pounding at their heads and making their skulls crack against the concrete.

Xion stood there, watching the pack's leader. He stared right back at her, eyes swimming with sick humor. His tongue stuck out of his mouth- a tongue too long to really be human- as he panted uncontrollably, the end flicking at the air as if it could taste her fear and her teacher's cooling blood. "What do I do?" Her voice cracked, the stares of their audience in other classrooms feeling especially weighted on her own form.

The pale-blue man crouched back, once more ready to taste a girl's delicious blood and tissue. His teeth ached to chomp straight into her shoulder and tear at delectable muscle- and, of course, this was all built upon their instinct. To kill, eat, and destroy.

None of these creatures would ever think for themselves... Right?

* * *

><p>Over the Hill Shines: <strong>Reality<strong>

"Daisy," the dean asked with uncertainty, "are you sure your friend, Chip, was not already infected or diseased before he was..." he paused uncomfortably, "_Turned_?"

The girl shook her head, a tissue handed to her as she shed more fat tears. Vanitas lounged on one of the office chairs, an ankle crossed over his knee and bouncing as he thought.

_Those things were too easy to kill._ His eyes narrowed towards the floor, eyebrows pulled together. _It wasn't their full strength or ability, was it...?_

The dean cleared his throat, "Valles?" to call his attention. He glanced back up at the faces of worried students and office staff, who were all awaiting the same question and answer. "Did you ever hold a grudge against the two?"

He scoffed at them. They expect him to know every single sophomore? "Do I hold a grudge?" He sat up and crossed his arms, both feet flat on the ground. "I never even knew them." He turned to glare at Daisy. "I _saved_ you, and now you're acting like a brat." She got to her feet and into his face with a twisted, angered expression.

"They were my friends!" Daisy sobbed, balling her fists up. "You don't even care- don't have the slightest remorse for the _people _you_ killed_!" He smiled at her and pushed at the platinum blonde's shoulders. He got to his own feet, walking past the big crowd and to the glass door. Before he headed out, as no one stopped him, he called to Daisy, "That thing? It wasn't a person. You're friend? He wasn't a person anymore. He changed the second that beast got to him and ripped him and his buddy's throats out." He paused, looking back as the door started to close. "Next time, if another one attacks, I won't help you."

* * *

><p>Axel moved the cordless power saw across his wooden project. He blew at the shavings of oak, finally taking off his goggles and smiling at the finished product. "Wakka, hand me that glue, would you?" The bulky teen tossed the glue gun in the air, the taller of the two catching it with ease and applying the molten substance.<p>

He felt the presence of his teacher- and smelled his heavy cologne. "How's it goin', Axel? Looks pretty good." He held up the half-designed shelf the teen was working on, moving a hand across the smooth, polished edge. "Yeesh, you're one o' my best students, y'know that?" The student grinned at the praise and bumped Wakka with a chuckle. The other rolled his eyes and continued to work on his... What was it? A birdhouse?

"Mr. Johnson?" Minnie, a quiet, sweet girl who'd gotten her schedule mixed up and practically forced to join wood-shop, stepped up to the three men. She waved a hand in front of her nose, coughing up a storm, "Could we open a window or something? I can't breath with all of this wood shaving floating around." The older of the three men quirked his mouth to the left and scratched the side of his neck as he walked towards a window, "I'm not supposed to, but if it's really for health-reasons..."

Wakka huffed and put the small saw he'd been using down on the table. "Finally, fresh air." He muttered while shaking his head. Axel turned away from the class and resumed his work.

"Bite! _Bite, bite, bite, bite_!" They heard from the opened window. It was an unusually strained voice, and it sounded as if the person who was yelling had serious phlegm problems. "I can't breath!" A shrill voice cried, sending shivers down most of the class. The teens started gather near the wall of windows, trying to get a better look.

Mr. Johnson stuck his head out of one of the windows he'd opened, trying his best to see what was going on down the hall. He saw a bunch of people, surrounding three or four kids. He opened the latch wider and hollered, "Hey! What are you doing? We're in a lock-down, you're not supposed to be outside!"A man turned 'round, on all four and inhaling heavily. He started a strange crawl towards Mr. Johnson's room, a deranged laugh bubbling from deep in it's chest. By the time it reached them, though, the windows were shut, locked, and the teens were told to back against the opposite wall.

The man clawed viciously at the glass, banging and chipping at the barrier. "Axel, your saw!" Johnson called, holding his hand out. The red-head quickly handed him the wireless, razor-sharp blade. The switch was flipped and it buzzed to life, spinning the razor while everyone waited in fear for something-quite possibly anything- to happen.

* * *

><p>Over the Hill Shines: <strong>Reality<strong>

Ven watched over the mound of gray and bruised bodies as one of the monstrosities strayed away towards a wall of windows. It snarled at the man who was stupidly poking his head out.

Lea quickly got to his feet, shoving Xion out of the way and practically breaking his knuckles when he slugged the possessed, black-eyed man. He'd barely flown two feet, but while stumbling to regain balance, fell over on it's back. It squealed, writhing, shouting, snarling. It couldn't get back up. Lea took action once more and charged for the stray man, knocking his head forcefully against the cracked glass. His movement and squelching noises ceased immediately, going limp and being dropped. The redhead squinted, chipping the glass away to see his brother in the other class. He rose his eyebrows, "Hey, Ax. Wanna help out a bit?" The taller, older of the two looked quickly to his teacher. He charged out of the classroom. Their teacher never said a word, even when Axel snatched the wireless saw.

When Axel ran around his classroom and saw his little brother waiting for him, he turned his saw on. "So, what monsters are we fighting today?"

"The hell?" The short red-head laughed, snorting "This ain't a video game, Ax". He turned to Xion with a stern stare. "Go in class, you'll be safer." He motioned towards Ven and his brother, "We can handle things from here." Without another word, the usually boisterous Lea ran towards Ven and Ms. Natalie while Xion slowly made her way into the classroom. Lea kicked the ribcage of the demon-possessed and nudged them onto their back, thus rendering them unable to get back up. Axel was at the shorter red-head's heels, "What the heck do you want me to do?"

The younger rolled his eyes, "Uh. Kill them?" Axel scoffed," Uh-huh. Not illegal at all," he muttered. He looked quickly down at one of the writhing bodies- a man, in fact. He cringed a bit before plunging the moving blade into it's chest. The mutant didn't react much, though- nor did it die quickly.

"A little too much for you, blondie?" Lea asked when he pulled Ven up. He glared at him, brushing off his comment and storming to the black-eyed man. "Give me the rake, Lea." Doing as he was told, he hand the toothed weapon to his friend. Ventus took it with shaky hands, tightening his grip nevertheless and striking the metal into the beast's head. Its breath caught while he tried to splutter something out of his drool-filled mouth. The second Ven dove the rake's teeth in the man's head a second time, he almost fainted.

The blonde turned around without another look, turning slightly green while his stomach churned. "I'm gonna... Be sick..." Lea patted his back, though, leading him over to where their teacher lay. The sound of Axel's electrical saw ceased, giving Ven's new headache a small break.

The people around their teacher were still unable to solve the mystery of how to get up and off of their backs, growled and hissed as they neared. "Uh... Ms. Natalie?" His voice shook as he stared at her form; unmoving and unchanging. Her usual hazel-green eyes were wide opened, and had been dulled. No light shown in them, and her complexion was much less than perfect. Lea and Ven coughed at the stench of rotting flesh and fresh blood, covering their noses with a pinch of their forefinger and thumb. "Can't believe this really happened," he sighed in a nasally voice, leaning on his left foot. A couple doors opened, wily teacher filing out and stepping over the still-alive creatures, fawning over the three teens. They looked regretfully at Mrs. Natalie, unable to say anything.

One of their teacher's friends- a tutor who happened to be in class that day- gasped as she took the scenery in. She walked straight through the path of groaning bodies and t the side of her friend, kneeling down and not minding her skirt riding a bit up. She brushed a wet strand of hair away from the woman's face, her eyes watering.

Axel leaned against Ventus, an arm draped around his shoulders. "Damn," he mumbled, looking over Ventus's teacher. The door to the blonde's classroom opened, both Xion and Yuffie stepping out uncertainly.

They both cringed, "Ew..." Xion 'blegh'd and Yuffie fake-gagged. "What an attractive sight," The petite girl coughed, stepping over the mumbling men and women. She didn't catch sight of Natalie, only giving a small, sad smile to the three boys. "You guys were amazing." Xion stepped up, "And brave," she looked directly at Lea with the slightest of color in her cheeks. The teen grinned cheekily, hands linked behind his head. The older, red-spiked brother moved closely to Yuffie with a small smile.

"How's it goin', Perry Winkle?"

She frowned, though. "I'm confused." She turned to Ven, who was wiping his hands on his jeans, trying to rid the stale blood. "Hey, Ven? You play zombie games," He looked up at her, a thought clicking in his head. He snapped is fingers and grinned at Yuffie, "You genius!" Most everyone in the hallway looked at him, the teens who were too scared to go outside still listened from the doorway.

"Is that what they are?" He asked out loud, looking around himself. "Zombies?" He shook his head while he walked over to the black-eye man. Marks showed prominently on his forehead where he had struck its head. Ven leaned down, peering at the dead intently. "Maybe..." He stood up and looked over the crowd, "If they _are_ the undead," he said like the nerd he is, "then that means we...-"

Yuffie stepped forward, "Ven, there are more!" He looked at her strangely, "Yeah... That's just what I was gonna say. Why are you a genius today, Yu-"

"No, I mean-" Axel quickly jogged towards him, spinning the blonde around so he could take a gander at the new mob. They stood perfectly still, Ven muttering a, "Well, look what you did, Yuffie? You probably caught their attention." She didn't reply, only able to stare at the strange white irises. The new group sniffed at the air, trying to catch any scent they could. Their backs were hunched, some of the undead's eyes were closed. They had better posture and weren't wildly snapping at the air. The closed-eye beasts coloration was strange- a pale peach.

One of their mouths opened, "We..." It strained, eyebrows pulling together as it tried to think. "...Eat." Finally, the open-eyed undead charged forward on their hands and feet, eyes wildly darting around as they ran.

"Get in the classrooms!" A teacher yelled, shuffling the hallway's group into an open door. He tried to usher the five teens into his classroom, Ven's reply being , "We can handle this! We did it last time, right?" The man bitterly laughed at that, pointing venomously towards his dead teacher, "And look what happened!"

They ignored him, though, until he finally shut his door in anger. Ven, Xion, Yuffie, and both Meláni brothers tried to ready themselves as the undead approached. Axel turned his saw on to full speed, his brother grabbing two metal trash can lids and taking a stance beside Yuffie, who held her fists close to her face, a small noise escaping her lips as the first possessed being jumped at her. Her fist connected with it's jaw, Lea swinging the metal lid at its head with all his might. They heard the loud _bang!_ when the metal hit, knocking the creature on it's back. Axel practically attacked the thing, shoving his saw into the head and, just as quickly, taking it out to get to his feet.

Ven handed Xion the rake, smiling at her as she shook her head. "Just take it, alright?" He face forward, inhaling deeply as butterflies exploded in his stomach and his heart raced adrenaline throughout his body. His first hand-to-hand fight with the undead woman started, and he was terrified.

Were they really going to survive this?

* * *

><p>Vanitas walked into the quad area where he last saw the three bodies. His face darkened while he looked around cautiously, eyes taking in every bit of detail.<p>

"Where's that third body...?" He murmured to himself. He walked towards the original perpetrator and the beast-turned Chip. They both stared up at the sky lifelessly, big holes showing meaty flesh, chipped bone, and muscle. Nowhere near them lay the third, non-turned Dale. Vanitas, finally realizing he didn't bring his spear-flag pole, cussed under his breath and shook his head at his own stupidity."Great. Cool. Get'ta be attacked by some man-eating freak that smells worse than a five week dead fish." His golden eyes ran along the walls, the shadows, failing to see any movement. "This'll be fun."

He headed towards the gates, sliding a hand through one of the slots as he passed by. He was basically displaying himself to the creature, because he could just _feel_ its presence lurking around somewhere, waiting for that one, stupid human to stroll on by.

But, he wasn't stupid. So, with that, he'd be able to take it on, right?

He shrugged, mouthing 'Probably' and continuing his walk, taking a left and a right, here and there, and eventually finding himself in one of the open hallways. He wandered around it for a couple minutes, the thought "If I were an undead guy, where would I hide?" spinning in his head. Footsteps were heard close by, Vanitas sliding right out of the hall, stepping quietly behind one of the tree and shrubbery planters. He poked his head out, ready for to initiate element of surprise.

A young looking, petite blonde student walked down the open hallway, carrying an arm-full of Art History books and sketchpads. Her other arm held stacked gum erasers and pencil cases. She tried balancing the items against her upper stomach and chest, cringing a bit as the weight of the thick books and pads started to tire her. She walked passed Vanitas, not taking note of him one bit. The raven sighed, somewhat relieved. He turned around, facing the wall and leaning against the tree's trunk. It had turned to be a pretty hot day, and the tree's shades gave Vanitas a bit more comfort than usual. It was almost nostalgi-

"What the heck!" The blonde haired girl cheeped, dropping most of her items. Her deep blue eyes widened, knees becoming shaky. "W-What..." she tried, backing down the hall as Dale neared. His eyes glowed a strange white, the pupils minimized inhumanly. His breathing had become labored and short as he inhaled the girl's fear. Vanitas took a glance, grinning as he saw a now-walking Dale. He stepped out from behind the tree, corners of his mouth turned upward.

"Ah, I knew it." He said coolly, talking more to the undead than the blonde. She shivered, though, taking in the Junior's appearance. He'd never really cleaned up after his last encounter with Chip and the new-comer, so to this girl, he looked a tad raggedy and unkempt. The girl gulped thickly, staring at the hunchback creature. It growled lowly in Vanitas's direction, crouching further down.

She stepped more towards Vanitas- hence him being more normal than the creature a few feet away, asking him a question he couldn't answer. "What is that thing?" He looked back at her, smile fading from his face as he, quite simply, shrugged.

He walked towards the blonde's fallen items, opening the canister of sharpened pencils while throwing out, "Beats me. So, what's your name?" He asked casually as he neared the creature with a dozen sharpened art pencils. Unable to comprehend Vanitas's movement, Dale made no movement to back away. He had already tasted the raven's calm mood in the air, and it was all the being was able to do. He only ever reacted to the fear and the negativity of people, and had no idea what the raven's cool mood meant; he had no idea how to react.

"N-Naminé," she squeaked, watching intently as Vanitas drew nearer towards the huffing beast. "What are you going to do with my-" before she had time to ask another question, Vanitas dove the pencil straight into the demon-turned Dale's neck.

He didn't react, only being shoved downward by the force. He kept the same stance, though, heaving his breathing and flaring his red-rimmed nostrils. The golden-eyed man frowned at this; Could it not feel pain?

"...Then, why..." He began, but shook his head as he grabbed Dale's hair roughly. Still, the beast didn't flinch. He took the eleven pencils he had now, and gauged them straight into his left ear. Most of them didn't make it past his thick skull, although, the ones that had actually entered Dale's ear had pierced through the rotting flesh and wiggled straight into his brain.

Finally, the creature shrieked in pain. The raven stepped back quickly, ushering for Naminé to do the same. Dale's hands went to his ear, whacking at the art utensils. He jitterbugged for a moment, falling over and shoving them deeper into his head. His mouth hung open, strangely wide. His eyes bled some sort of clear liquid, as did his injured ear. It pooled around his head, burning the rotting skin and tearing away at the bite mark on his neck.

"So, Naminé." Vanitas turned to the horrified girl, "My name's Vanitas." He held out a hand to her, though she never took it. Her eyes couldn't leave the sight of the stranger who'd just died in front of her. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to look into the golden pools of the raven that raised his black brows at her. His hand was still outstretched, but she dared not to take it.

"Are you insane?" She peeped, "You must be."

He shrugged, "I dunno, never checked." She fell awkwardly silent, a hand going to grasp the end of her blue pastern dress. Vanitas frowned at her, "Well, I'm gettin' outta here. There are probably more of those things," he motioned towards Chip's still twitching body, "lurking somewhere." He gave her a nod. "Bye." He started down the hall, towards the athlete's field. There was a gate there that led out of the school, and the lock was easily pick-able. He wondered for a moment, though, if he really was right. Were those things crawling around everywhere? They might as well be, too.

Quiet footsteps were heard directly behind him, Naminé's face flushing as she bee-lined after him. He didn't stop, however. "You planning on following me?" She tried catching up to him, hands folded in front of her, "Will you..."

"What? Protect you?" He scoffed, rolling his canary-yellows. "I'm not a body guard, sorry." She faltered for a moment, staring at the back of the raven's head.

What could she do? She had no way to defend herself, and if he was _right_ about those creatures still around how was she to defend herself? Her hands clasped together in front of he, voice cracking, "Please? I-I don't know what to do. I'm not strong, and I cannot do what you just did. I can't crack a neck or-or bludgeon somebody, but I'm... I'm smart, I won't get it your way or anything," She was afraid her voice was too soft and quiet, because he kept walking. His hands were dug deep in his pockets while he chewed on the side of his bottom lip, thinking.

He stopped, a hand coming out of his pocket so he could snap his fingers. "Fine," he turned to her, "don't get it my way, and don't you dare scream if they show up. Also," he looked over her meek appearance, how such a radiant goodness and vulnerability shone in her eyes, "you have to do whatever the heck I say, when I say it. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. Got it?" She nodded vigorously, heart sinking slightly while she caught up to him. They got to the field, sneakily getting past the people working out and running the track. They got to the fence, Vanitas glancing at her as he inspected the lock. "You got a bobby pin?"

She nodded, removing the pin from her hair and handing it regretfully to the man. He twisted and turned the pin, listening for the click that would signal their freedom.

Vanitas felt that if they stayed together, it'd be a good change at survival.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Oh, dear. There are so many mistakes that I had to fix just now- I'm sorry! RE: And a couple handful more, now that my friend and I checked it two more times xD;_

_I was overjoyed to see people actually reading this, and liking it, too. Thank you so much for reading it, everyone. : )_

_So, what surprises me is that this is my longest chapter in all of my stories. It's funny, because it wasn't that hard to write, and I did it pretty quickly. I'm happy about that, and i'll try doing long chapters like this more often.(Without the gargantuan amount of mistakes, haha...)_

Meeshee's Mushie

**Mookie Muffin: **Shm, that totally makes me want a gronala bar xD

Really? I thought it needed more gore :o I guess we get a bit more in this chapter, right?

**CitrusFruityPop: **One- Awesome name. Love it :3 I'm surprised I even thoguht of this idea. Now that it's progressed(In my head), I know this whole first story like the back of my hand. It's pretty cool to have everything planned out for once, haha.

I'm so glad you like it, and I hope you stick around for more!

**Twin!(Con): **Twin :D gkejguehube, really? ^o^! That's so amazoring to hear :DD My twins approve ;_; I looked over the mistakes, and i'm trying to find the "IV" one. Can't see it o_o

Thank you so much, Twin :3-tomcruiseheartattack-

**Twin!(Ni): **My twin :D Not so much as an experiment as a... "Problemati Poking Around"(Meh heh heh) Higurashi no Nako Ni? xD It's so trippy! Serious ; o ;? Thank you so much, Twin :DDD-totalheartness-


	3. Make it Out, Make it Work

Over the Hill Shines: **Reality**

* * *

><p>Aqua stood back and looked at her handy-work, huffing moderately and glaring at all the twitching figures. "Terra, are you alright?" She questioned, swiftly coming to his side. He bent on one knee, catching his breath and looking back at his blue-haired friend. The girl looked disheveled, as did he, but there was an air about her that didn't seem right. Aqua, one of the mightiest girls he's ever met, was truly terrified.<p>

They had been running track earlier that day for P.E. when the attack started. First, there was an easy one or two. The human-like creatures came one after another and it became completely unmanageable. The only option both Terra and Aqua had thought of was to fight back, as they had no other motive or plan. They never even thought about running away, about leaving the others and render them helpless. Sure, some of the Seniors could take care of themselves, but what about the rest? They absolutely needed the leadership of such a strong duo; the kindness and understanding of Aqua mingled with the strength and leadership of Terra. A Junior rushed to them in the midst of such chaos, bending over to catch his breath while Aqua placed a hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong? How's the blacktop?" She looked ahead, though, already figuring her answer out. Students were mercilessly being hunted down and pounced upon, the only safe ones being the Seniors and Freshman on the far grass area.

He coughed, "Not good," His fingers pressed to the bite on his forearm to stop the bleeding, a low groan rumbling his throat. "Ah, jeez, those mother-fuckers got both bark _and_ bite." Aqua frowned and brushed his hand away to see the wound, her mouth quivering as she inspected it. Terra got to his feet and watched the horrors ahead of him, grounding his teeth together.

"I'm going ahead." He told the two as he started walking forward. Aqua shot up and barked, "No! Terra, don't you dare!" He ignored her, continuously putting a fast foot in front of the other. She surged forward and gripped at his arm, fingernails digging into the fabric of his gray, worn out P.E. shirt. "You'll get attacked , and then killed. Please?" Her voice held desperation. There was no way the brunet could look back at her. "Please, Terra?" She asked again, voice crumbling at the end. His muscles tensed as he thought, watching over the teens who were literally getting torn to shreds. He spared a glance towards the teachers' bodies, the brave people who tried handling the outbreak with the best of their ability, but failed. The brunet's jaw clenched as he thought about his friends, and how they could very well be in danger. He turned to Aqua, hard-set eyes softening when he he looked at her face. The blunette wore an expression close to weeping, though she did not shed one tear. . A strong, soft, calloused hand reached up to caress the blunette's curved jawline. Terra stared her down, finally being able to say, "I need to do this." Their strong gaze never broke away, "For you- for everyone." With that, no hesitation or fear showing through his slightly-bulky appearance, he rushed off towards the blacktop and began attacking the disgusting mutations like an angry bear.

He left Aqua alone. Although, leaving her with the hope she would keep to her heart, possibly forever, the brunet was unaware to the dangerous transformation directly behind her, crouched and ready to taste anew.

* * *

><p>Over the Hill Shines: <strong>Reality<strong>

"You got a car?" Vanitas mumbled as he and the blonde-haired Sophomore entered the parking lot. She hummed as she searched the breast pocket of her blue pattern dress, groaning when she realized she'd left her keys and phone in the art class. "I, uhm..." The raven snorted and shook his head, "Of course. Leave it to the blonde to mess up our escape." She glared at the back of his head as they started to walk, him being a few steps in front of her. Her fingers fiddled with each other, trying to find an interest in anything but staring at the older man.

_Really,_ she sighed, _does he have to be so mean?_

They reached the sidewalk, fully aware of the halted cars. Absolutely no vehicles were moving forward, nor were there curious passengers inside. The streets were relatively empty, other than the torn-up body here and there. Naminé felt sick to her stomach just surveying the scene around her. She was self-conscious and frightened, and desperately wanted the comfort of someone who actually _cared_ about her well-being. She sped her pace up, walking as close to Vanitas as he would allow her. There was no way in the world she would get separated from this man; she wouldn't allow it, she couldn't survive it.

They turned a couple of corners, crossed some streets, all in search of whatever it was Vanitas had in mind. It was finally after ten minutes Naminé spoke up.

"Where are we going exactly?" He turned to look at her, never slowing his pace. "We're going to get things to protect ourselves." Just with that, the darkness his voice held, made the blonde-headed girl shut her mouth the whole way. This meant she would actually have to fight- but how? She was weak, and slow. Sure, she was fast-thinking, but what real good could that do? She frowned deeply, suddenly regretting following the black-haired young adult. She realized, with a sinking heart, she had absolutely no use to the raven.

Unless, of course, he raped her. She didn't really doubt that happening, actually, and it hung in her thoughts for a while longer before they arrived at a shopping square. A yogurt stand and fast-food restaurants, along with a tiny flower shop, a food mart, and a basic gardening and wood supply store. They both headed directly towards the latter shop, getting stares from people who hid in the next door food mart. Vanitas was quick to open the glass door for Naminé and himself, looking around to be sure nothing was out and about. A hardy paint-and-dust scent filled their nostrils, even made Naminé cough. The lights had burned out and the raven realized it'd be hard for them to find the right tools. He took a quick glance at the blonde-haired girl, nodding towards the left of the store, "Go find a wood sander- the machine one, not paper." She nodded, not entirely too sure what he would use it for. Nevertheless, she walked in the direction he had instructed.

"Oh," the raven called as if remembering something, "don't forget those pointy, miniature shovels, a'right?" Naminé murmured a tiny, "I'll go look," before disappearing into such eerie darkness. Vanitas exhaled loudly as he started rummaging around the Tool's isle. He picked up a wrench, deciding it'd be of no use to them. He tossed it behind himself, ignoring the fact that he'd never heard the clang of metal on linoleum. He strolled into the Outdoor Dining isle, looking at the steak-pokers and, surprisingly, fireplace tools. He nodded admirably and picked up the sharp things, taking note that he'd have to sand some of them down to make it a sufficient stabbing tool. Naminé returned a few minutes later, eyes almost completely adjusted to the dark layout. She handed him the sander and held a few tiny shovels in her hands, watching as Vanitas worked them across the rough surface of the sander.

"There are some hunting knives at the front desk if we need them." The blonde informed him, leaning up against a row of spatulas. Vanitas nodded, "Good, take all of them down. If there are any bags down there, stuff all of these in too." He handed her the fire and steak pokers, now sharpened by hand. He was still working on the gardening utensils though, holding the sanded blade securely and rubbing the metal to make it form a nice point. Naminé did as she was told, going back to the front counter with an armful of utensils and hopping up on it. She put the pokers down on the surface, sliding herself towards the entrance of it, plopping down on the floor. The blonde fingered through the knives, placing them all on the counter and looking around for a bag. There was a rack of duffels and shopping purses near the back door, and just as she was about to hop the counter again, a hand firmly grabbed her ankle. She gasped, unable to make another sound. A man clutched to her ankle for dear life, whispering, "Please, please! Get down, pl-please," Slowly, shakily, she got to her knees. The old shop-keep held his neck with four fingers, blood slowly trickling from the spaces. His breath came in gasps as he stared at her, a smile slowly forming on his face.

"How is outside?" He muttered looking upwards, towards the ceiling, as if he were paranoid something would find them. He was backed up against the counter's corner wall, sitting on the floor. Naminé had her legs folded underneath her, leaning forward. "It's... Gotten worse. Sir, are you-" He shushed her and hissed, "Be quiet! They'll hear you," Her eyes sparkled in such dim lighting. Her brain processed such information at a slow pace, until a few seconds later, she whispered, "They... They're... In this shop?" The man nodded, gulping and licking at his dry lips. He grabbed her hand with his free fingers, holding on tightly. "Please, if you're grabbing those knives to protect yourself, please, kill them." He coughed something bloody, gritting his teeth and pressing onto his neck even harder. His cough became worse, back hunching as he lurched forward. A rattling noise came from beyond the counter, then the sound of claws hitting drywall. The hand around Naminé's tightened as he prepared himself for the worst, coughs and hacks wracking his whole body now. A bony hand gripped the front of the counter, Naminé staring up at it fearfully. Her whole chest filled with absolute dread as the arm slowly pulled itself over. A hand covered her mouth, eyes feeling as if they were about to sizzle down from how much she wanted to cry. She wanted to scream Vanitas's name, she wanted this old man to shut the hell up and somehow make it, but all she could do was sit and wait like a pathetic, useless little girl.

Its chin was in her view now, skin hunched in small rolls as it bared its teeth. A low hiss rumbled from its throat as it looked down at her and the man, red irises glowing in near darkness. A tear trekked down the blonde's face as she stared up at the creature, unaware of what to do. It was different than that one other Sophomore- Dale. It was scarier. More realistic. So up _close_. Another hand crept to the inside of the desk, elongated, sharp claws digging straight through the plastic. The tongue flicked out, swirling in the air as it tasted her emotion. The man beside her had fallen silent and unmoving, now bunched over and limp.

"Oh, god dammit." She heard Vanitas bark, the undead creature swiftly turning around and howling menacingly in what Namine assumed was his direction. She heard rattling noises, metal clashing to the floor and flesh smacking together. She heard crunches and heaves, nasty, wet-sounding snaps of the creatures' jaws. Vanitas mumbled something under his breath as he grabbed one of the knives from the desktop and scarred the ugly thing's face, breaking its head open with its blade. For a few moments, the blonde heard nothing. She didn't want to move, and didn't trust her brain to work properly if she ever tried speaking. She felt ten times worse than the first time she met Vanitas- now she knew she was completely and utterly useless. A human hand gripped the side of the counter, Vanitas's head popping into view as he stared down at the two.

"I leave you be for five minutes, and you already attract some god damn demon?" His bloodied arm came and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her straight up. "Come on. That guy's gonna turn soon, so we have to go." He grabbed the sharpened utensils and two duffel bags, placing them inside and sifting through a few more things. He looked at Naminé's now-ruined, bloodied dress and down at his own outfit. "We'll clean ourselves up in a bit, a'right?" She nodded while sliding over the desk, avoiding any sight of the twitching beast on the floor and clutching at the inside of her elbows while her nails scratched at her skin from nervous habit. Vanitas opened up a small refrigerator he found on the side of the front desk, luckily finding water bottles and fishing bait. He grabbed most of the bottles, handing one to the blonde. After finishing his own and tossing it on the body of the undead, he ushered for her to move. She held the cooled plastic to her forehead as they walked to the backroom. Vanitas, pressing a finger to his lips as he twisted the knob and looked into the cloudy daylight. The back alley they stepped into held muskiness and was a tad unpleasant, though they teetered on forward after closing the backroom door to find a safer place. The fact that one undead man, possibly two now, was inhabiting the shop was simply not good enough. They couldn't have two rotting bodies in the same place, it'd be disgusting and unsanitary.

Naminé gulped back some tears as she envisioned such a terrible face. "Whe-Where are we going now?" She asked like a sad, lost child. Her voice was broken and her steps were loud and uncared for. The raven looked back at her and shrugged, "Let's go clean up. We'll look for a place to stay too." She took a breath-full and shook her head in agreement, deciding not to say anything.

As they walked along a sidewalk in the sunshine's dimming ray, they never noticed a group of unsightly beasts following their trail.

* * *

><p>Over the Hill Shines: <strong>Reality<strong>

"Ventus, they're getting into the classrooms!" Xion yelled as the rake tore open a woman's skull. A loud, roaring hiss tore from her mouth as her body was flung away, hitting some other group. A couple of the undead knocked into cracking windows, finally chipping and pounding away at the glass and breaking into the rooms. The blonde leaped forward and knocked them backwards, standing dormant at one of the rooms. He looked around at his friends and the newcomer- Xion- who were all wearing out and panting.

Ventus's knuckles felt somewhat bruised and broken, though he knew he would have to continue fighting. He turned back to the stiff classroom, popping his head in and careful not to touch the broken, sharp edges. He was surprised to see that it was his own class. Michel looked at him with wide eyes, standing at the very back of the class.

"I need someone to get our phones," he called out to everyone. Not a single person moved, only stood there like deer in headlights. Ven growled under his breath, pulling his head away and glancing quickly around. "I'm going to get our stuff, don't let anyone get inside," he called out to his short, red-haired friend. Lea nodded briskly and pounded a women's face in with one of his metal lids, quick to pick it up. His brother was beside him covered in muck, though still stoic and grim while driving his moving blade through her stiff neck.

Ventus tore the door open, rushing to close it as a demented man tried, galloping on all fours, to get in. He pounded at the blue barrier, screaming random words and phrases. The blonde rummaged through all of his friend's backpacks, finding their phones and wallets. He grabbed his own backpack, dumping out all of the contents and shoving the electronics and others inside. He looked back at his classmates, all huddled together in a corner and watching him with frightened eyes. He shook his head, "I'm sorry. I'm leaving. Don't come out of this room, I-I'll get help." He bit his own tongue at the end, very unsure if the last bit was true. Where was he going to get help from? The police? Fire department? Yeah, right. He shook his head and took off for the door, bag slung over one shoulder as he readied himself to run. The door was closed and locked behind him immediately, leaving him to the chilling outside. His bright blue eyes took in the fighting scene, lungs filling up with air so he could yell, "We need to get to the roof-top!" Yuffie looked back at him as she just finished cracking someones head. "How we gonna do that?" She yelled over the ruckus, backing away from a hoard while Axel came sneakily behind them.

He grabbed the person closest to him- Xion- and moved her forward, "We run," He told Yuffie, staring expectantly at the two Melani brothers. They nodded and finished knocking three beast's heads off, running ahead to lessen the numbers. Xion handed the blonde her rake, nodding and ignoring his protest by running too. He informed them about having their phones and money so more reassurance could come over them. As they just finished turning the open hallway's corner, Wakka burst into the group like thunder. He 'woo-hoo'ed loudly and kicked a zombie straight in the stomach, making it fall over while soon-after colliding into Axel. The tall red-head rejoiced for a few seconds, grabbing his friends' shoulders and running over to where they were headed. Once Wakka knew what to do, he tensed his big arm muscles and grinned at the two ladies.

"C'mon, guys, we ca' handle 'em, yah!" He called out loudly, rushing forward and bursting through a mob of the possessed. He roared venomously and punched his way through, making a makeshift path for the scurrying group. Ventus rummaged through his pack and found his own phone, flipping it open while he told Lea to cover him. He went through his list of contacts as they ran, finding his brother's number and feeling his chest tighten. "Please, answer," he mumbled while pressing the 'call' button. He bit his lip until the skin broke, sucking on any metallic taste as he waited. On the fifth ring, the line finally picked up.

"Ventus?" His brother's voice was shaky, and just hearing such a thing made the blonde completely stop. "Roxas!" He called over the commotion, and Lea had to drag him along while the blonde grinned like a fool. "Are you alright?" He asked, worry filled to the brim and pouring out in his question. Roxas mulled over the question as he took a look outside.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Ven, you can't go outside, you hear me? Just don't go outside. There are these... These _things_ out there, and you'll-"

Ventus laughed a little bitterly when cutting his brother off, his lungs trying to fill with the stale air around him as he started to tire more. "I'm already outside. We have most of the group, and we're going to the roof. Roxas, you need to run there." He paused for a moment, jerking away from Lea's hold as he looked around. "Wait, what class are you in? I-I'll come get you!" The other blonde's blood boiled though, yelling back, "No! You guys get back inside! Ven, I saw what they do. They're animals, they're going to-"

Lea jerked Ven forward and hollered, "We need to go! Text him when we get there!" He pointed behind at the hoard of mutants heading towards them, despite Ven's protest. He needed to tell all these details to Roxas, he needed him to have the information on how to defend himself, on how to take care of himself and get to the roof safely...

Lea scowled at his blonde-haired friend, "Enough!" He snatched the phone away, and before he could turn it off, Ven shouted, "The roof, go there!" into the phone. Lea shook his head and shoved the blonde's phone into his pocket and grabbed Ventus by the forearm. He ran full-speed, trying to catch up with the rest of their group. He'd dropped one of the trashcan lids, so he only had the one, dented and scratched left.

Ven's eyes widened as he stared at his friend's pocket, his phone beeping and lighting up as Roxas tried calling back. His face contorted into something close to hate, barking out, "Why did you do that? Roxas needs to know how to kill them, they could get into his class, and-and," Axel stopped up ahead and cupped a hand to the side of his mouth while Wakka continued to cuss loudly and destroy the undead up ahead, "Hey! Shuddup and keep moving, would'yah? No time to dilly-dally!" Lea nodded to his brother and jabbed Ven in the ribs, telling him to hurry his ass up. The group made a quick jog pass the cafeteria, seeing the open P.E locker room. Xion and Yuffie stopped running, pointing to the boy's locker room.

"Get in there!" Xion instructed as she ushered Yuffie inside. The teens hurried after the two, Ventus being the last to enter. He closed the door and found its' key, locking it tight. Both Lea and Axel moved two heavy carts in front of the door, just in case the lock broke. "De' other door," Wakka pointed to the opposite exit that led out to the blacktop. It was also secured by carts of heavy material. The blonde took a step forward, a hand touching the granite wall as he continued towards the door. Just before he reached it, a shovel was flung in his direction from his left where the wall ended and a small walkway for more lockers and benches were. He'd made a quick step back just in time, heart racing and eyes wide.

"The hell?" He ground out and scratched the side of his head. He heard quick footsteps, surprised to see Aqua coming from being the granite and staring doubtfully at her friend. She was speechless for a moment, mouth opening and closing as she tried finding words. Without anything to say though, she came forth and wrapped the blonde up in a hug. Her nose and lips touched the side of his neck as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, disbelief flooding through their system. His own arms wrapped around her mid-section tightly, hugging the older girl forcefully. A tiny cry came from the both of them, Ventus's small group turning away in respect. The other teens never really knew Aqua too well, though Ventus, Terra, and Aqua had been friends for who-knows how long.

Aqua shook her head, though, pulling her face away from the blonde's neck. Tiny tears rolled down her cheeks, a happy smile on her face. "I ha-had no idea if you were okay, Ven..." She turned towards where she came out from, inviting Ventus to follow her. Behind a row or two of lockers sat Terra and Tidus, both on the floor and huffing breathlessly. Tidus was the first to look up, a brilliant smile filing on his face. "You're alive!" The only brunet blew his breath out while he stared up at his blonde-haired friend.

"Thank God." He murmured, grinning warmly. Relief spread warmly through the four, all happy to see each other. Lea was the first to enter the small hallway, pulling out Ventus's phone and handing it to him. "Axel's trying to get hold of Demyx and Ienzo. They should be in the office, they're both student aids and all." The teen's moss-green irises swept over the faces of Aqua, Terra, and Tidus. He beamed widley and laughed, "I thought you guys'd be picked off! Boy, how Ax would'a rung your neck, Terra!" The brunet got to his feet and put an arm around both Ven and Lea, looking back towards Aqua. She looked out of place while she thought, moving passed the three and taking note of all the others.

"We need a plan." She started out bluntly. The group of teens quieted down as she motioned for everyone to take a seat, the three boys in the back soon joining them. The blunette looked around the somewhat organized circle of people, clearing her throat and beginning, "What do we already know about those things outside?"

Like a good student, Yuffie raised her hand. Aqua humored her and pointed, "Yes?"

The short-haired girl leaned forward, hands in front of her as she gulped. "We already know that you _have_ to kill them. No exceptions." The circle was silent as they thought about that for a moment. Did they really, honestly have to kill? _Them?_ Every single one of them were just teenagers, kids, chumps. They absolutely couldn't base their young lives around _killing_ people. It was... Immoral, unsanitary, impossible...

"They only die when you make direct contact to the brain. Yuffie and I already noted that they are, in fact- uh- zombies." Ven clarified, though his blue-haired friend laughed at this. Before she could get a word in though, the bulky-brained Wakka interrupted.

"So, what'chur sayin' is; Our human race is fallin' apart and morphin' into these weird zombie-things, yah?" Beside him, Xion shivered distastefully at such a thought. "How?" She tried, looking at the grim faces of her new friends. Up to that point, no one- not even Ventus- could give an answer to that. They knew nothing else about these creatures- save for the knowledge on how to kill them.

Axel's frown was set deeply as rested his aching form against the granite wall. "We don't even know how this all started... Don't know how they really turn into 'zombies'. All we can base them off of is the zombies _we_ know about. The video-game ones, get it?" Slowly, they all agreed. The meatier, rougher of the two blondes in the room criticized this, though.

"Does that automatically mean we have to test them out?"

"I think we should." Ven answered, looking to both doors. They all heard faint scratching sounds, soon turning into merciless pounding. Axel laughed loudly and got to his feet.

"I guess this means we'll have to do it right now!" The teens started getting to their feet. Lea poked Ven to get his attention and pointed to the blonde's phone.

"Try getting Roxas and Sora on the line, and see where Demyx is."

The blonde nodded and started dialing his brother's number. He could only hope they were still alive.

Could this tiny group really save them- or anyone, for that matter?

* * *

><p>AN: _Hey! How's life? Enjoyin' that virtual limonade? I hope so! __Anywho, id like to thank both of my twin's for bein' the nicest Beta's ever. :3 Helped me out immensely._

_So, now it's time for..._

MeeShee's Mush: SsShady: Thank you so much. : ) I was a tad worried that the first and second chapter was either too much or too little in gore/action, so i'm really glad to hear that you like it. I'm glad you'll be following, too! It's a releif to hear that, and I hope to hear back from you. ^o^

ShadowDolls: Baww, Shad, your two reviews are really nice! I almost can't believe someone likes my story so much :D Makes me feel so accomplished xD At least one of my stories is a bit succesful, yeah? I'll try really hard to continue this, and you already know I have it really planned ahead. Heck, i'm in the middle of chapter four right now! Anywho, though, I hope this chapter made you happier with OtHS:R, and I'd love to talk to you about it some more :3

Ah! To anyone else who's read this chapter, thank you for giving it a chance. I hope it fit your tastes, and I'll try doin' a great job on the next chapters!

Don't forget to drop a review: I love to know what you guys think : ) -heart-


	4. Come and Get Me!

The blonde's fingers moved swiftly across the touchpad of Lea's phone, sending the text message to three people; Sora, Roxas, and Demyx.

_'meet at rooftop. things are haywire right now, so be extremely careful. bring something with you to attack them, dont let them touch you'_

He bit and tore at the sore, bloodied patch on his lip as he watched the message send. He sniffed strongly and wiped the greasiness away from his brow and hairline, having moved his hair away from his forehead earlier. He was worried, dread-filled, and just wanted to see his brothers and parents. He wanted to be in his boring History class again and get yelled at by Ms. Natalie for fooling about with Lea, Michel, and Yuffie. He looked at the newly-formed team, surveying the numbers. He counted slowly, muttering a small, "Nine."

The fiery-haired youngster looked to the back of him and stared at his friend for some time. "Nine? Nine what?" Ven frowned and started to walk towards the group, trying to block out the insistent pounding and snapping noises that came from outside.

"There are nine of us total, soon to be thirteen."

"It's too many people." Xion said, linking an arm with a shaken Yuffie. She looked around the circling teens, then back at the blonde. "Right? There's gonna be way too many people."

Axel frowned. "We'll be picked off easily if we head out in such a big group…" His voice broke at the end as he looked to his friends. Lea growled out and hit his chest, "So, what? Are we just gonna separate like a bunch of dumb-fucks?" He snorted rudely and pointed at the door, "Yeah, let's all just split the fuck up and have those frickin' monsters tear us apart."

"Lea," Ven snapped with a slight glare, "calm down. We'll all go to the rooftop and make a solid plan there, when everyone's around to decide what we do. We need the whole gang together to make the grand plan. Right now, all we need to do is stick together and run like Hell's after us."

Terra smiled tiredly and patted his smaller friend's shoulder. "Good thinking, Ven. Let's get some weapons, Ax." Axel and Terra barged into the P.E. teacher's office. The tall red-head was about to take a big step but stopped and quickly backed into the brunet. Their eyes wandered slowly to the open office door in the back, five crawling creatures staring blindly around the room. He stepped back slowly, a hand coming up to meet with Terra's chest as he pushed him towards the locker room's door.

"Get back, Terra." His voice sounded scraggily in such a low, hushed note, though held carefulness as a million-and-two thoughts ran throughout his mind. The half-glass door of the teacher's office would easily break if the undead figured out how to break through, and the locker room's big blue door was just about to burst…

How were they going to escape from this mess? Axel shoved Terra into the circled group of teens who watched the blue barrier with fright.

* * *

><p>The day was now clouded with the stench of metallic, fresh flesh. Small rays of light that leaked out of the heavy gray clouds seemed to burn holes into the skin of humans and animals alike. Chaos had spread so quickly throughout the town- throughout the country, nation, everywhere- that no one alive knew how to conquer the undead epidemic. The monsters roaming the darkest corners of their homes were ultimately more powerful than themselves, than most any human, and no one was brave enough to stand up to them…<p>

A wandering soul stepped out of his house, covered in a musky scent and soiled in sour, browning blood. His face showed shock, horror, and disbelief. His dull blue eyes searched his neighborhood for that one person, the one he strained to believe was still alive. A couple steps more into his lawn, a couple glances behind himself, and he already felt lost.

"Zack?" He croaked out, hands falling to his side as he looked at the body in front of him. Red matted chocolate brown hair and clothes, the body being face-down in freshly cut grass. The man's hand came slowly down to the others' shoulder as he crouched, shoving lightly, his eyes milking every feature of a newly paled face. His breath left heavy lungs as he saw his loved one spread out on the ground. "Z-Zack?" The man tried, hand pressing to his boyfriend's neck. He waited. The blonde pleaded for a pulse, waited for that one sign of life. After a good thirty seconds his hand fell away.

His heart clenched painfully and he bowed his head. He'd felt nothing... Nothing but his own heart ripping apart in his chest.

* * *

><p>Cars were piled up in rows of disarray. Some were smashed into each other, though the ones that were intact still held both dead and alive inhabitants. Vanitas and Naminé passed the ones still alive, ignoring their pleas and calls for help and the occasional, "I'm stuck!" stories. At first, the blonde-haired girl was worried for the random folk as they passed them by, always willing herself to ask why they didn't simply help them.<p>

She swallowed thickly and grabbed at the hem of his shirt and pulled a bit, stopping in her tracks. The fabric stretched out as he kept moving, ignoring her.

"Vanitas?" She questioned, the hem flying back into shape when she let go. "Why aren't we helping them?" Naminé fixed the strap of the duffel bag she carried, trying to somehow take some of the weight off of her back. The black-haired man turned to her and snorted a chuckle.

"If we let those who are injured out of captivity, who says blood doesn't attract those things? I'm pretty sure if I were a flesh-eating mongrel, I'd be all over the next person who's bleeding out." The girl frowned at this though, cursing the black-haired man's crude personality. She looked over him; the way he carried himself around reminded her of some sort of twisted, cocky king. He always had a snarky comeback, but he never really flaunted himself around. Naminé sighed to herself as her own blue orbs glanced over the man's molten magma colored hues when he turned around. They were squinted, though, she noted. Directly behind her, he tried to see the figures who were shambling about in their line of direction.

Vanitas grabbed her forearm roughly and tugged her back, shoving her arm away and digging into her duffel bag. He pulled out a few of his makeshift weapons, shoving the sharp ends into his pocket and some hand-held. He looked back at her, nodding towards a vacant open-door car. "Get in there, duck down, and don't come out until I tell you to."

Nerves spread throughout her being as she scurried into the half-tipped, crushed car. She closed the door as quietly as possible, looking around the tan leather Honda. The blonde-haired girl sprawled out on the car's floor, trying to somehow crane her neck and see what Vanitas was up to and still remain unseen herself.

Her eyes widened inhumanly as something pushed against her leg. A rough tongue brushed against her ankle once or twice and she held her breath as the tiny creature crawled along her back. Her shoulders lifted as the furry creature reached the middle of her back, and just as the ruby tongue slid across the back of her neck, the loud sound of fast-paced running and squealing screeches reached her ears. A soft squeak sounded behind herand the blonde reached back to grab the creature by its scruff. She pulled the small rodent close to her, ducking their heads as the fight continued, scratching behind its thin ears to keep herself calm. Quite surprisingly, the seemingly domesticated rat made no move to run away from her shivering touch.

Vanitas lodged a small shovel into the ear of one creature, quickly withdrawing it to dive it into another skull. All he could see was black eyes and curling smiles. The pack surrounded him completely, hands coming out to grab at whatever limb they could to restrain him. A few were just about to take a bite out of various parts of his body, and he tensed his muscles to ready himself for the inevitable pain. "Fucking fuck!" He ground out as they started tearing at his clothes. Scratches and scrapes soon littered his arms, abdomen, and back as he struggled to get the hell away from them.

"Don't ki-ll," A scraggily voice barked. One lone figure stood away from the pack surrounding Vanitas, his posture better, his skin not as bruised or bloodied. The man sported light brown, messy, crusted hair and rugged, dirty clothing.

"Ge' o-ther." A few of the monster-a'likes sniffed and surveyed, breaking away from their pack and running face-first into the car. They mauled the metal and broke the windows, clawing away at the backdoor. It flung open finally, leaving Naminé and her new, lost companion out in the open. She looked up and at their faces, at those scary red and black eyes. A clawed hand reached for her, tugging her up roughly as his partner quickly grabbed the rodent. It's eyes rolled blindly and a gross smile found its way onto his lips, mouth opening widely as he shoved the rat's head into his mouth. He crunched, delighted, and started to tear at the bloody neck, down to its body. The scragilly-looking monster looked her over with a smug air, smiling grimly and showing his black and rotten fangs. "Pu' 'em toge-ter." The sandy blonde ordered his red and black eyed posse, who shoved the two humans side-by-side and held onto their frame so as not to let them escape.

The black haired man's nose crinkled up in disgust as the sandy blonde walked closer. The smell of their putrid, sweaty, rotten body parts made him and Naminé felt sick, dizzy, and extremely unsanitary all over.

"Where you hea'ed?" The man slurred, walking even closer. He got up to Naminé's face, their breath mingling in the stale, tense air. His hand slid to the back of her neck, blackened claws digging ever-so-slightly into her soft flesh. She held her chin high, trying not to smell his raw breath or look into his devilish, strange eyes. The girl closed her eyes tightly and swallowed. Her fists clenched while she tried pulling away from him and his growling minions. She took a deep breath and sighed it all out.

"Does it matter?" Vanitas snapped, turning the demon's attention to him. Their goldenrod eyes clashed in some sort of heated stare, though the man never left Naminé's trembling front. His hand snaked up towards her chin and grasped it tightly in a somewhat bruising hold. His voice lowered, irises darkening whilst he looked down on her, "I'll make de-al."

"You're not gonna make a deal with _her_, you're gonna make a deal with _me_." Vanitas inagger-pointed stare. His fists clenched with whitened knuckles, arms straining to break away from the man's posse. He heard the creatures around him hiss and stir while still trying to keep a strong hold on them. The leader looked towards Vanitas, disinterested and annoyed. He walked towards the tuff young man and grabbed at his chin.

"Cocky." The sandy blonde spat. He stepped away and positivley slapped Naminé across the face. Her head snapped to the side and she sucked in a loud, frightened gasp of air. "Join or ki-ll." Slowly and steadilly, the blonde's cheek reddened and tiny lines of blood formed and started to drip down to her chin. Vanitas's eyes grew darker as he trained them on the hollow face of their attacker.

"Join what?" A few short-breathed snorts were passed around the mongrels, some of them baring their teeth in a smile.

"Us!" The leader growled and dipped his head, hands immideitaly going to his head and tearing at his hair. His breathing became irregular, loud and rough, eyes and nostrils flaring up as his temper rose. "Join or I _demolish_!" The leader quickly took one of his own and tore at their hair. The subordinate didn't react, didn't even act as his hair was torn clean off from his scalp. His leader screeched loudly, making both humans jump out of their skins as he began to tear at his teammate's flesh. Naminé, being very slight of stomach, positively gagged at the sight.

The leader tore open the remaining layer of flesh and muscle. His fingers began to burn and sizzle as they smeared with the clear liquid oozing from such a big gash- he ignored it and bit into the others' skull, ripping at the bone and immideatly getting to the soft, plush brain. The same clear liquid spouted from small crevices and open spaces of the organ and as soon as his leader delved into such a treat is when he reacted. He surged forward and screamed, fingers coming up and clawing at his master's face. Still, though, he continued to tear at his partner, drooling and moaning delightedly at the taste and noises of anguish.

Vanitas's nose scrunched up. "You'll eat your own damn teammates one by one because we won't agree?" The man's mouth began to sizzle, as did his hands and forearms. He screamed again and pushed his now-dead subordinate to the ground, flicking some of the clear material away. The droplets landed on the left wing of his goons, all of which instantly flailed backwards and rolled around the pavement to get rid of the sizzling sensation. Naminé was relativley free, quickly ripping herself away from the distracted creatures. The blonde turned to her right and kneed one of them in the face. The softened skull ejected its fragments into their brain and effectivley knocked away one more opponent. She moaned loudly and held on to her knee as she felt her flesh begin to bruise. Looking all around herself, the pack began to step back, hissing and looking around blindly with their red-rimmed eyes. Vanitas, having three of four of the goons finally off of his person, immidiatly left-hooked the remaining white-eyed mongrel and sent him tumbling away.

The blonde haired leader growled, his lower and upper lip slowly being eaten away by some unseen acid. His fingers and palms were raw, dripping with that same peculiar substance.

"Naminé," Vanitas barked, digging the items out of his pockets and throwing her one. She quit nursing her knee and grabbed onto the shovel with shaky hands.

"No, don't make me do thi-"

"You don't have a choice!" He belowed and immidiatly took action. As he left Namine with the five or six remaining goons, the black haired former Junior sprung for their leader.

He wasn't like the others though; Easily caught off guard, limbs like butter if you tried cutting them up, and overall... Not as fierce, fiery, not so _aware_ of everything. His eyes, now that he looked into them at such a close proximity, were a hot, melting shade of orange-gold. This finally made Vanitas wonder; Why were they all so different, were they like levels in a video game or something? This haughty leader of theirs wasn't as beat up or bruised as the others, and he wasn't as raw or disgusting, save for his now-melting upper and lower jaw, plus his hands.

So, as they began to get into a heated fight of who was stronger, who could really beat the other- beast against human- Naminé stood and watched as the creatures twisted their backs and rolled on the black pavement. The sharpened weapon in her hand, a shovel that Vanitas had put some extra time into, shook in the most tightest hold. Naminé walked slowly forward, towards one of the purely black-eyed monsters that had calmed down for the most part. His eyes were closed, breathing somewhat slow though heavy and uneven as they flared through his nostrils and the little hole that formed in his cheek where a drop of that peculiar liquid landed. He clutched at his forearm, a low growl escaping his tight lips. The blonde-haired girl stepped closer and closer, fear melting off of her form as she slowly sat in front of the beast. She rose the blade, slow but sure, and willed herself to kill him. She was so ready, so aware of how many other beings she'd have to murder that day- until he opened his eyes.

She paused. Could he see her? Could he even comprehend what she was doing? She looked at his teeth, not nearly as sharp as the others and just about humanized. His hand grabbed out and took her wrist in a strong hold, bringing it forward to press against his raw wound. The blonde sucked in a breath, eyes scanning over its' demeanor. "Please don't hurt me," she murmured while bending slowly down. He passed a low, quiet screech in the back of his throat, opening his mouth just a little to show her his black tongue.

"_Kiiiiilllll_..." His broken voice spoke, scraggily and wet. "_Kiiiilll_..." He struggled, until finally, he remebered the word; "_Meeeee_..."

Naminé sat there, shocked and a little bit sad. This man, no matter what he'd turned into, had enough common sense to realize he was something dangrous, something that needed to be destroyed. Though, was that really true? She looked around herself, at all the crying men and women who had turned into something otherworldly. She wanted to know what had happened, she needed to know before she gave her new friend this God awful last request.

Her fingers slowly wrapped around his wound as she pressed a hung to him, not caring if she got even more much on herself. "Alright," the blonde answered brokenly, "but I need to know. W-what are you?"

His blackened eyes seemed to lose their shine as he looked behind her at something fast-coming. A melting hand came up and tugged the back of her blue pattern dress, though before she was hauled upward, the man answered in that breathy, wet tone; "_Deeeaad_."

* * *

><p>"Run!" Ven shouted when the door's hinges brusted off of the wall. The team lunged ahead, their faces scrunched in disgust as they crushed into the form of five undead. They were easilly knocked down and the group launched towards the direction of their signature rooftop. All around them they were faced with the walking dead whom only stared aimlessly and shambled around, some with arms outstretched like a Hollywood-style zombie. None of them ran after the group though, much to their relief. They turned into a hallway's corner, pass the grand outdoor cafeteria and down a walkway. They avoided all contact with the undead, even as they started to run after them.<p>

Ven spotted the one door that would keep them safe for who-knows how long. He quickly ran into it, pulling with all of his might. "The door- it won't budge!" He callled out, quickly looking behind himself at the team that was fighting off more opponents. He growled loudly, pulling at the backs of the undead and almost having a heartattack as they all started to focus in on him.

Axel and Tidus kicked and pushed the door down, ushering everyone quickly inside. Thankfully, the other door leading to the rooftop was unlocked, meeting them with no other complications to keep them from there goal. Ven was the last one to step over the doorway until he heard his name called from far away. He looked behind himself, down to the hallway on the right and saw his brother, Roxas, running for his life with the stupidest expression of happiness and terror.

The younger blonde sucked in a breath and bolted for his brother pushing any obsticale out of the way. He lunged for his brother, catching him off guard and practically melting in his arms. They began to walk backwards while the undead tried to advance on them, Axel yelling at them to get inside. They pushed eachother into the stairway, ignoring the darkness of it all until finally getting to the top of the staircase.

When they did, Axel came up with both Ienzo and Demyx, who later explained their where-abouts and why they'd been so late.

Ven looked to his brother, finally getting a chance to hug him without being so rushed. He was delighted to feel the gesture returned. His heart felt like it burned from such overwhelming feelings bubbling in his chest. He let out a hot breath, pressing his lips to Roxas's neck and giving and him an extra-tight hug. The boy felt like crying again.

"Hey, Ven?" He heard Xion mutter as she prodded his shoulder. "Yuffie needs you, she's in the back with Aqua." Said boy nodded, letting go of his kin until a few more seconds later. He surveyed the group with sparking-alive eyes, looking for any injuries or missing persons.

"Sora's not here..." Roxas commented, putting on an angry face and looking over the ledge of the rooftop. He spat at one of the undead, slightly satisfied when it actually landed on one. He proceeded to look, his mind wandering elsewhere with the thoughts of Sora and trying to figure out what the hell happened to him.

With directions from Xion, Ven quietly headed to the back of the roof. He ignored the two huge, discontinued air conditioners and finally met the sight of Yuffie, wrapped up in his blue-haired friend's arms. She was crying hysterically.

"What happened?" He asked, sitting beside the two. An arm of his came up and wrapped around Yuffie's neck while he pressed the side of his head to hers. Aqua patted his head and murmured, "She said to leave you guys alone, so... I'll be in the front, alright?" He nodded as she left, finally scooting closer to his friend and trying to dip his head to see her face.

His voice cracked a little. "Are you okay?" Her head shook left to right. "Do you want to talk about it?" She stayed dormant, her left hand resting on her stomach while the other covered her eyes. He touched the hand on her stomach, "Are you hurt?"

A big breath of air entered and left her lungs until she looked at her friend. "I can't go with this, Ven."

His eyes pulled together, "Wha'do you mean? Yuff, we're gonna get through all of this. You saw how dumb those guys are, right? How slow they are, and how... _Stupid_, right?" His other hand came to her back, drawing little circles into it to calm her down a tad.

Her frustration came out as she slapped her lap. "_No_, you don't _get_ it, Ven!" He frowned at that when she covered her eyes again and curled up even more. "I just can't deal with this..."

"I... Why?" Ven pressed. He understood if she was scared- Hell, he was scared out of his mind, too! But he wanted to live. He wanted to live, and he would do anything for his right to live. No one, not a terrorist, a disease, or some zombie bitch would take him down.

So, the blonde opened his mouth and tell her that they'd come up with a plan to make _sure_ they survived, until she beat him to the punch.

"Ventus, I'm pregnant."

_...Well_, he thought while he looked at her slightly bulging stomach with a pair of raised honeyblonde eyebrows, _this changes things._

* * *

><p><em>Okay. OKAY. I did this chapter with my SOUL and my BLOOD and my TEARS, man.<em>

_I love you guys. Seriously, that's why I wrote and WROTE for two days straight. e_e_

_So, I dearly dearly dearly dearly DEARLY hope all of you enjoyed this chapter._

_One of my favoritest friends beta'd this chapter : ) Her name's Anne G. and she is AMAZING._

_I'm sorry, Twinsie :( She offered today and I said yes, so she Beta'd it._

_And, both of my Twinsies, I'm so sorry I haven't been talking to you two. But, now I have Google Chrome, and my computer WORKS now! So, yeah. :D_

Meeshee's REPLY'S

ShadowDolls: Oh dude, noooo. I'm gonna try to make it as realistic as I can :o

You'll seeee whyyyyy~ Ven is a tard.

Vanitas is amazing, and Namine needs some help x3

They will in the next chapter... I think. Not sure yet.

Not really a fast update, but i poured my heart and soul into it ^o^ Hope you like it. : )

CitrusFruityPop: Fffaahh, I would neeeevvver kill Aqua off ;D... Cough. SO.

She totally will one day. Thank you very much ^o^

Soooo, I took your comment and tried to better my story with it. Did I do a better job? : )

Roshail: RooooSHAIIIILLL. I adore you :D By the way, Anne loves you. Austin says flargh, and David is a goober.

Phantom-Lord Noel: Thank you very much : ) I hope you liked the chapter!

So, thank you very much for checking out my story, everyone! It'd make my day if you guys review, okay? Anywho, though, I hope you all continue reading on and are excited for the new chapter like I am, hah! Bye : )


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